Microsoft unveils Skype for business services

Facebook courtesy of Skype

Microsoft recently provided a sneak peek at three of their new Skype for business services.

The unveiling of the services is part of Microsoft's latest plan to repackage Skype as a business-oriented software tool.

The new services are Skype Meeting Broadcast, PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) Conferencing and Cloud PBX with PSTN Calling, according to ZD Net.

The Skype Meeting Broadcast allows users to reach more people than ever whenever they are conducting a business meeting online. Thanks to the new service, up to 10,000 people can participate in a single Skype for Business meeting, making it ideal for mass gatherings such as conferences or seminars conducted over the Internet.

The PSTN Conferencing allows people invited to use their mobile phone or landline to join a Skype for Business meeting to which they were invited. To join the meeting, people who were invited will need to dial in. More people can be added to a specific meeting by a user dialing out.

Cloud PBX with PSTN Calling enables users to make and phone calls via their Skype for Business client. In addition, subscribers may use features such as hold, resume and transfer to make each call more convenient.

For now, only customers with an Office 365 Enterprise account can make use of the three services while they are still in the beta testing phase, according to On Windows.

Microsoft will reportedly begin to make the Cloud PBX with PSTN Calling widely available beginning this fall, while the other services expected to be ready some time before the end of the year.

Skype is a telecommunications application software product that specializes in providing video chat and voice calls from computers, tablets, and mobile devices via the Internet to other devices such as telephones and smartphones.

It also enables users to send instant messages, exchange files and images, send video messages and create conference calls.